Zevenwacht Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

Sold Out - next vintage to be released 2006Veritas 2003 - BronzeDark in colour with opulent and fleshy fruit flavours and an oaky edge, but its tightly wound and compact now, finishing with chewy tannins and a burst of cherry and minerality. A wine for the long haul.

in the vineyard : Three distinctive sites were used in the crafting of this wine. Two of these are on Zevenwacht proper. One faces due south and the other southwesterly, offering exposure to cooling breezes from the nearby Atlantic Ocean. The third site is on Die Eike (Bottelary Hills), more westerly in aspect and slightly warmer during the ripening period in February and March. Cabernet is quite resilient in terms of water requirements and as such seldom requires supplementary irrigation. The vineyards on Zevenwacht are trellised on a five-wire hedge while those on Die Eike are almost bush vine in nature with only one cordon wire 60cm from the soil surface. All vineyards are pruned to two-bud spurs with 8 to 9 spurs (16 to 18 buds) per running meter of cordon.

about the harvest: 2001 manifested itself with a warm summer following the third consecutive parched winter, resulting in very few problems with disease. The grapes ripened quickly with rapidly accumulating sugar levels. The grapes were picked between 24 and 25ÂºBrix.

in the cellar : The grapes were destalked and lightly crushed into 15 ton stainless steel fermentors. Temperatures on the Zevenwacht fruit were allowed to rise higher than 28ÂºCelsius so as to volatize some of the green bean flavours reminiscent of Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon. This practice allows the ripe cassis flavours prominence in finished wine. The must was oxidatively pumped over four times daily. Pressed off to holding tanks, the wine underwent natural malolactive fermentation. Aged for 12 months in 50% new French oak and 50% second and third-fill French oak hogsheads (300l).